Document originally procured by Dr. Argo Keller1.
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| Sketch of the siren body plan, shown from dorsal view. Note that this image only depicts the right half of the body. |
Sirens (Phylum Chaetognatha)
The term “sirens” colloquially refers to the species Tyrannovermis fallax (roughly meaning “treacherous tyrant worm” in latin). These are descended from benthic chaetognaths who gained sophonce around the 334.57 million years ago, during the late Mississippian period, when the largest terrestrial vertebrates were little more than alligator-sized amphibians.
The sirens, like their bristle worm ancestors, possessed several pairs of chitinous mandibles, which could fold out from their mouths like switchblades. Their heads had 4 eyes, and behind this, they possessed a “mantle” from which extended 3 pairs of limbs. Each limb worked by using hydraulic pressure and smooth-type muscle to move a long tentacle terminating in 4 claws, which were able to be positioned to allow for the grasping of objects. When not in use, these limbs were retracted into a collapsable sheath comprised of 2 concentric tubes; this method of storage allowed the navigation of tunnel environments. The main trunk of the body consisted of a long section with 4 flipper-like appendages. These had a similar retractile nature, but possessed a more rigid structure, allowing the attachment of membranes to form wing-like fins. The posterior end of the body possessed 10 branching tendrils, serving to anchor the creature to the seafloor and enabling finer manipulation of tools.
Because of their ancestry, they produced an excess of offspring. One fully grown female, spanning 5.5 meters in length, was capable of producing clutches of up to 267 eggs per mating event. This led to the development of societies that radically diverged from human civilization in their sociocultural structures. The main effect of this factor was a lack of respect for weaker members of their species. Because parents did not raise their young, they possessed only a crude form of empathy; thus they were more violent when compared to humans. Left to fend for themselves in the wild, only 38% of the offspring would survive long enough to be integrated into society, and only 9% of individuals would survive to the oldest stage of their lifespan. They also diverged in psychology; sirens had 2 primary ganglia (brain analogs for invertebrates). Their frontal ganglion, located internal to the head, was responsible for regulating the operation of the complex tentacles and fins. It also held the components that allowed for basic survival skills. The second ganglion was located at the center of the body and was responsible for generating the consciousness. However, this brain only developed later in life; larval sirens were little more than wild animals. As they matured, they would reach the intelligence of a dog. It was at this stage that they began to interact with siren society, often being used as a source of manual labor. Once they reached around 1.4 meters in length, an individual siren would begin to activate its central ganglion and would become capable of rational thought. This would allow it to join a tribe or kingdom. Because of their benthic and burrowing nature, sirens were very greedy and controlling. This, combined with their lack of empathy, led adults to be very violent towards their smaller intelligent siblings, establishing a harsh hierarchy of dominance based on size.
The biology of the species also allowed them the ability to self-repair, regenerating their head or limbs if they had been lost (similar to in salamanders). As punishment for insubordinance, many a young adult had their head removed or lobotomized. During the time needed to heal, the central ganglion was to reflect on the individual’s actions. Large specimens of the siren race often enslaved their smaller brethren.
This could be done in a multitude of ways, such as starving their smaller servants of food. The most common was the removal of the limbs deemed unnecessary for a task by the leader. For example, soldiers might have their hind tendrils cut off so that they could train to be stronger; farmers might have their fins eaten to prevent escape while also making them more size efficient. Winning a certain number of lethal duels with their peers were often one way for smaller specimens to gain the respect of the giant elders. Cannibalism was a regular occurrence in most clans, performed by the dominant and/or rival individuals. Occasionally, subjects would revolt against their masters to kill and eat them, but in the end, they would always grow into the very monster that they had destroyed.
While these methods of maintaining political control may seem cruel and unusual to the human reader, they were regular occurrences in siren society, and the creatures did not feel remorse concerning such actions.
